Janie and Jim – Ask an Expert supports your desire to grow the Nordmann firs in home containers. This can be a bit tricky for this type of a forest tree.

Your seedling can be planted in an all-purpose potting soil that includes drainage material such as pumice or perlite. An extra handful of pumice or perlite could be added, if you have some around. 

Any type of pot is acceptable, as long as it has a hole or holes for drainage. Never let your pot stand in water. Clay pots dry out a bit faster than plastic pots. Remember that, as the trees grow, they only have the soil in the pot to get water from. Observe them carefully to ensure they have enough water through hot summers. 

Plant your seedling in a pot that is a bit bigger than the size of the root ball as it is now. Planting in a much larger pot usually results in problems with water relations in the pot. Each year or two, if growth has been good, re-pot the tree in a larger pot—from a 4” pot to a 6” pot, from a 6” pot to an 8” pot, and so forth. As you re-pot it, look over the root system. If the roots are circling the outside surface of the root ball, you can clip some off. This will allow the plant to form a more fibrous root system rather than a taproot system that it might have done in Nature. 

The plants should get full sun, year-round. The roots of plants in pots are more susceptible to freezing in winter than plants in the ground. You might pull the pots into a somewhat protected area of the yard until the coldest temperatures warm a bit. 

Fertilize your little trees in early spring and perhaps again a month later. As with water, the plant roots only can find its nutrients in the pot. If growth slows or the plant looks a bit lighter in color, a bit more fertilizer could help. Any good quality organic or synthetic plant food formulated for trees and shrubs would be fine. 

If you do use them as Christmas trees, only keep them inside for a few days to a week. The dry and warm conditions inside the house are difficult for live trees to handle in the middle of their dormant season. 

Good luck with these lovely conifers.